Topic: Holiday Baking

[duh]

Halloween - I know the pumpkin cake done with two bundt cakes put end to end with a cup cake on top for the stem, orange frosting and chocolate frosting to cover the cup cake.  Then there is the spider cake that I am doing this year.  The caramel cake batter is to die for.  I'm not sure how it will translate into the cake.  I'll know tomorrow and let you know.  Is everything else just the surfeit of candy?

Thanksgiving are all of the pies, apple, pumpkin, mincemeat, sweet potato,...

Christmas is the time for cookies

What are your "go to" baked goods for the holidays?

[bayou girl]

fudge is a year round favorite (i know, it isn't "baked" but falls in the category) and i use it for gifts/pot lucks during the holidays, carrot cake is a must at either thanksgiving or christmas, and ellie always bakes cookies, although i might as well this year.  i am slowly starting to feel more domesticated.

[bestofour]

My mother used to make peanut butter fudge but hasn't made it in years.  It's my all time favorite.  Jiffy, I like cake and I like carrots but I don't like carrot cake at all.  Pumpkin pie is my favorite pie but I like an Edwards frozen one way better than home made.  The pumpkin isn't as strong or something.  Two of my nieces are vegan, Johnny and at least 2 of my nephews don't eat sweets so we don't have much in the sweet department at our gatherings. 

[duh]

The spider cake was a success in looks but the caramel got lost under the chocolate frosting.  The hazelnut also got lost under the chocolate.  But it did ok for the meeting. 

[Jim]

Peanut butter fudge sure sounds yummy.  I make Fantasy Fudge using the recipe right off the marshmellow creme can.  It's good but I bet peanut butter fudge would be better!

[bestofour]

duh, wish you could have taken a picture of the spider cake.

Jim, my mother lost her recipe or I'd make that fudge all the time.  I've tried other recipes but it's never the same.

[duh]

I was suprised that mixing the hazelnut chocolate with the canned chocolate frosting caused a fudge like consistance the next day.  It actually tasted pretty good. 

[bayou girl]

jim, that is one of my favorite fudge recipes!  i haven't made that one in years, just because of the time it takes, but i used to make it regularly for wives club bake sales/auctions.  in fact, i think that was the last time i did make it!  and scott has been out of the navy 20 years now!

[bestofour]

I just got off the phone with my mom and she's going to try to remember the fudge recipe.

[Jim]

I just got off the phone with my mom and she's going to try to remember the fudge recipe.

Great.  Can't wait to try it.

[duh]

I saw a box of what I thought was Key Lime Cake.  Turns out it was Key Lime Cookies.  So it will be part of the holiday baking this year. 

[bestofour]

my mother can't remember the recipe.  Phooey.

duh, I've never had key lime cookies.  Should be interesting.

[duh]

I think so.

But this tuesday I'll be baking the pumpkin pie and then I'll have to stop at the grocery store for whipped cream on the way into the meeting on wednesday. 

Then I'll do the key lime cookings the next week.

[bestofour]

My parents are coming Thanksgiving day.  We used to go out of town with my sisters, their families, and parents until all our kids started getting married and having to make other plans.  The last 2 or 3 years Johnny and I have gone out of town with Ginger and her in laws but it didn't work out this year.  It's a good thing because they left for Florida yesterday and I've been sick for over a week and there's no way I could have gone.  Mother invited everyone to her house but Johnny and I are the only ones left in town so I told her just to come here so she wouldn't have to cook.  My mother is very OCD and although she has a gigantic, beautiful house, and tons of money it stresses her to know end to have people in her house.  She's always been this way.  It was a rare thing for us to ever have people over for dinner at our house.  When we were all living at home we went out to eat for holidays.  She decorates, and redecorates, hires decorators, builds, adds on, but then can't have people over to enjoy her home.  It gives her TMJ.  She will invite us all over but if we go she's so miserable before we get there and while we're there that we can't enjoy it.  The last several times we've all been there, winter or summer, we've stayed outside.  The way I feel right now I don't even feel like having Thanksgiving dinner.

I'm not sure what I'm having.  We don't like turkey so maybe ham.  Give me a few ideas.

[Tina]

I am still undecided about Thanksgiving here. I am not sure what we might have. Maybe KFC. most of us can find something to like from their menu and I don't have a mess afterwards.

[sunsoaker]

I hadn't planned on dinner here, until my son called. Kira has to work and he don't want to sit all day waiting for her to get off work. They are going to Ft. Walton when she does. So we are going to have a 'lunch' around noon. Ham dinner.

[bestofour]

Well I'm making a cake from scratch.  I watched the Barefoot Contessa and she made a chocolate loaf cake that she sat in partially thawed vanilla ice cream topped with raspberries, whipped cream, and raspberry liqueur.  I've looked high and low for a chocolate loaf cake and haven't found one so I found a recipe and bought the ingredients.  I even went into Charlotte today looking.  We don't have big bakeries like in other parts of the world.  For anything other than cupcakes or a frosted layered cake you have to put in a special order and I waited to late.  We don't have places for different types of bread either.  But I digress.   I sent Johnny to the booze store for raspberry liqueur and he can back with raspberry snapps.  I'm gonna use it anyway.

[bestofour]

The cake turned out great.

[Tina]

Awesome!

[bayou girl]

the cake sounds good sheri. you should post the recipe!

[bestofour]

The cake tasted a lot like a dark chocolate brownie.  I heard the recipe on the Barefoot Contessa and found it online.  It's a lot of trouble and ingredients for it to taste like a brownie.  I won't make it again.  No one even mentioned the Raspberry Snapps being alcoholic because with the raspberries and whipped cream the alcohol wasn't noticeable.

[bayou girl]

if it was that much work, and only tasted like a brownie, then i agree.  why bother.

[duh]

Has anyone tried Alton Brown's Baked Mac and Cheese?  I've heard it is the most down loaded recipe on the net.

[sunsoaker]

I just did a quick search and bookmarked it. I'll look at it closer when I have more time.

[bestofour]

duh, I looked it up on Food.com and it has 5 stars and looks yummy and I think I know why. 

Nutritional Facts for Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Serving Size: 1 (207 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value

Calories 658.2

Calories from Fat 338
51%
Total Fat 37.5 g
57%
Saturated Fat 22.6 g
113%
Cholesterol 138.2 mg
46%
Sodium 951.3 mg
39%
Total Carbohydrate 52.4 g
17%
Dietary Fiber 2.5 g
10%
Sugars 3.1 g
12%
Protein 27.5 g
55%